article thumbnail

Why Were 2023 and 2024 So Hot?

Union of Concerned Scientists

The year 2023 was by far the warmest in Earths recorded history, and perhaps in the past 100,000 years , shattering the previous record set in 2016 by 0.27C (0.49F). According to recent data from NOAAs National Center for Environmental Information, 2024 is likely to be even warmer than 2023. But why were 2023 and 2024 so warm?

2024 289
article thumbnail

DEP Invites Comments On A Proposed Declaration Of An Exceptional Air Pollution Event Due To 2023 Wildfire Smoke Impacts

PA Environment Daily

EPA has specific guidance on declaration of Exceptional Events for events caused by natural or uncontrollable events, like wildfires and the handling of air quality data from those events. Report Harrisburg Area’s Air Quality Is Among Worst On East Coast -- TribLive: American Lung Assn. The deadline for comments is May 28.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

The definitive CO2/CH4 comparison post

Real Climate

The radiative forcing from these changes in concentrations can be easily calculated using standard formulas (from Etminan et al, 2016 which supersede the slightly simpler ones from IPCC TAR), as about 2 W/m 2 for the CO 2 change and 0.65 W/m 2 for CH 4. That implies you need a sustained reduction of 0.8 Highwood, and K.P.

article thumbnail

Ethylene Oxide: New Interactive Map Shows Communities Impacted by Cancer-Causing Chemical

Union of Concerned Scientists

While the US US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has known that ethylene oxide is a carcinogen since 2016, the agency currently does not account for these cancer risks in regulations for facilities that use ethylene oxide. Children are especially at risk of harm from breathing ethylene oxide.

article thumbnail

Will the EPA Strengthen Ethylene Oxide Standards Without Outside Interference?

Union of Concerned Scientists

As with too many other air pollutants, people of color face a disproportionate impact from sterilizers that pose greater cancer risks, co-located facilities, and those violating the Clean Air Act. To be clear: EPA is not proposing that these facilities cease operations or suddenly banning the use of EtO.

article thumbnail

Ask a Scientist: EPA Failing to Protect Communities from Cancer-Causing Gas

Union of Concerned Scientists

In 2016, it concluded that the gas is 60 times more toxic than its previous estimate. DM: The EPA’s 2016 risk assessment determined that chronic inhalation of ethylene oxide—meaning over a long period of time—is associated with white blood cell cancers, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, myeloma, and lymphocytic leukemia.

article thumbnail

DEP: PA Fracking Operations Sent Nearly 236,000 Cubic Feet Of Radioactive TENORM Waste To Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facilities For Disposal In 2021 - 811,070 since 2016

PA Environment Daily

From 2016 to 2021, a total of 811,070 cubic feet of TENORM waste was sent to low-level radioactive facilities for disposal, while all the other industries combined in the four states sent 1,272,003 cubic feet of LLRW.

Waste 98